Youth's Death follows Electrical Burns

Manawatu Times, Volume 59, Issue 211, 4 September 1934, Page 7

Youth's Death follows Electrical Burns

mishap while erecting radio MAST Per Press Association. AUCKLAND, Last Night. An inquest was held into the death of Frederick Freetk, a sawmiller, aged IG, who died in the Auckland Hospital on August 14, two and a-half months after receiving burns through a guj wire of a radio mast he was erec.ing coining in contact with an electric power line carrying 11,000 volts at lluntly. John Graham gave evidence tha*, on May 26, he was on the roof of a house living a guy wire. Frccth took another guy wire to the back of the yard to fasten it to a fence post. Witness beard a deep buzzing sound and on looking up sav/ that Freetk was affix, to the wire and smoke and sparks were issuing from his left hand and from that side of his body. Seeing tha„ the uuy wire had made contact with a wire supplying electric power to the mill, be pushed the mast over, breaking the contact. and Freetk fell to the ground. Medical evidence was given that an operation was performed on deceased soon after he was admitted to hospital. His left knee joint bdeame septic, however, owing to the burn having penetrated the joint. His left leg was amputated, but blood poisoning set in, with fatal results. Tho Coroner found that death was duo to septicaemia arising from electric burns received while deceased was erecting a wireless mast.